1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup system applied to an image processing system or the like for transferring, to a computer, image data picked up by an image pickup device in accordance with an image pickup program, and performing predetermined image processing in the computer, and a storage medium storing the image pickup program.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, an image processing system constituted by an image pickup device (image pickup unit) and a computer connected to the image pickup device is available.
In this image processing system, the computer executes an image pickup program for controlling data transfer from the image pickup device to the computer and various kinds of processing in the computer. Various kinds of image processing can be performed in the image processing system. For example, image data picked up by the image pickup device is transferred to the computer and displayed on the screen of the computer, or the image data is compressed and stored as an image file in a memory.
In the above conventional image processing system, the image data obtained by the image pickup device is transferred to the computer in units of frames.
More specifically, the memory of the image pickup device temporarily stores one-frame image data expressed by a luminance signal/color difference signals, which represent a 320 (pixels in the horizontal direction)xc3x97240 (pixels in the vertical direction) size obtained upon image pickup, or one-frame image data expressed in the form of R (5 bits), G (5 bits), and B (5 bits), which represent a 160 (pixels in the horizontal direction)xc3x97120 (pixels in the vertical direction) size. The image data is then transferred from the memory of the image pickup device to the main memory of the computer in units of frames.
In the conventional image processing system, when image data expressed by the 2-byte luminance signal/color difference signals per pixel in the 320 (pixels in the horizontal direction)xc3x97240 (pixels in the vertical direction) size is to be processed, the main memory of the computer must have at least one-frame image data empty area, i.e., a 153,600-byte image area in addition to the work area for executing the image pickup program described above.
In transfer of one-frame image data from the image pickup device to the computer, when the empty area of the main memory of the computer cannot store one-frame image data, the image pickup program cannot be executed, thus degrading the performance of the overall system.
The present invention has been made to eliminate the above drawback, and has as its object to provide a high-performance image pickup system which has a small image area and effectively uses a memory.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image pickup program capable of reducing an image pickup system image area to effectively use a memory and attaining a high-performance image pickup system.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup system comprising image pickup means for picking up an object image to obtain image data, image processing means, connectable to the image pickup means through communication means, for temporarily storing the image data transferred from the image pickup means in memory means and performing predetermined image processing for the image data, and transfer control means for controlling data transfer between the image pickup means and the image processing means, wherein the transfer control means divides one-frame image data obtained by the image pickup means into a plurality of blocks and transferring the block to the image processing means.
According to the second aspect, the communication means in the first aspect complies with PC card standards.
According to the third aspect, the transfer control means in the first aspect divides the one-frame image data into rectangular blocks each having an integer multiple of 8 pixels in a horizontal direction and 8 pixels in a vertical direction.
According to the fourth aspect, the transfer control means in the first aspect divides the one-frame image data into rectangular blocks each having the number of horizontal pixels of the one-frame image data in a horizontal direction and an integer multiple of 8 pixels in a vertical direction.
According to the fifth aspect, the image processing means in the first aspect comprises storage means for storing the image data from the image pickup means in a memory, and the transfer control means in the first aspect controls to transfer next image data to the image processing means when the image processing means temporarily stores the one-block image data in the memory means and the storage means completes storage in the memory.
According to the sixth aspect, the storage means in the fifth aspect stores the image data upon compression of the one-block image data.
According to the seventh aspect, the image processing means in the first aspect comprises display means for displaying the image data from the image pickup means on a screen, and the transfer control means in the first aspect controls to transfer next image data to the image processing means when the image processing means temporarily stores the one-block image data in the memory means and the image data is displayed on the screen of the display means.
According to the eighth aspect, the transfer control means in the first aspect comprises detection means for detecting a capacity of an empty area of the memory means and changes a size of one block in accordance with a detection result from the detection means.
According to the ninth aspect, there is provided a storage medium which stores a transfer control processing step for transferring image data obtained by picking up an object image by image pickup means to memory means of image processing means connectable to the image pickup means through communication means, temporarily storing the image data in the memory means, and causing the image processing means to perform predetermined image processing, wherein the transfer control processing step includes a processing step of dividing one-frame image data obtained by the image pickup means into a plurality of blocks and transferring the block to the image processing means.
According to the tenth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of causing the communication means complying with PC card standards to transfer the image data.
According to the eleventh aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of dividing the one-frame image data into rectangular blocks each having an integer multiple of 8 pixels in a horizontal direction and 8 pixels in a vertical direction.
According to the twelfth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of dividing the one-frame image data into rectangular blocks each having the number of horizontal pixels of the one-frame image data in a horizontal direction and an integer multiple of 8 pixels in a vertical direction.
According to the thirteenth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of controlling to transfer next image data to the image processing means when the image processing means temporarily stores the one-block image data in the memory means and storage in the memory by the storage means is completed.
According to the fourteenth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the thirteenth aspect includes a processing step of storing the image data upon compression of the one-block image data by the storage means.
According to the fifteenth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of controlling to transfer next image data to the image processing means when the image processing means temporarily stores the one-block image data in the memory means and the image data is displayed on the screen of display means.
According to the sixteenth aspect, the transfer control processing step in the ninth aspect includes a processing step of detecting a capacity of an empty area of the memory means and changing a size of one block in accordance with a detection result from the detection means.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.